It's all about timing
by flyingbluebirds
Summary: They played a dangerous game, they both knew this from the beginning. They should have known better, should have had the strength to stay away from each other, but they didn't. They couldn't. - AU sets in the early years of Regina and Leopold's marriage, TW: Mayor character deaths, mention of rape/abuse


Additional trigger warning for the mention of rape and abuse (nothing graphic but just to be sure) As well as a warning for major character deaths. This is not a light story, so be prepared. Special shout out to Clare for bearing with my crappy English and limited writing talent. You are awesome xx

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They played a dangerous game, they both knew this from the beginning. They should have known better, should have hadthe strength to stay away from each other, but they didn't. They couldn't.

Robin couldn't stop watching her, the young queen deep in thought walking through the gardens. A sad but beautiful expression on her face,her long dark hair falling in soft waves over her shoulder. He found himself wanting to make her happy. To change the sadness, into a smile, however elusive it may be.

When the woman lifted her head and her gaze met his, he immediately got lost in the deep brown of her eyes. He just couldn't look looked so vulnerable, almost shy. The look she gave him was full of confusion, but Robin spotted something else in her eyes. The queen almost looked pleasantly surprised.

"Who are you and how dare you spying on me?", she asked in a tone that was meant to be harsh, but was weakened through the smirk she couldn't stop from appearing on her face.

"Robin of Locksleys, at your service", Robin stopped mid-sentence, realizing that giving the King's wife his real name probably wasn't the wisest decision. But it was already too late now for taking it back. "The thief?", the queen raised an eyebrow, "You know, I could call for my guards this very second. Thievery is not welcome here and you've made yourself quite well-known in this land."

Still, the smirk hasn't left her lips, There certainly was something about this woman. If Robin didn't know any better he'd even say she was flirting with him. That feeling was probably the thing that encouraged him for his answer. "Well, milady, you could certainly do this, but I am sure we both have better ways to spend our time."

The queen's eyebrow rose even higher. "Do we?" Robin's reply came quicker and with more confidence this time. "Mind if I join you on your walk?" The woman hesitated for a moment, her eyes mustering the man in front of her. "Robin Locksley, you are either a very brave or very stupid man, join me if you think that I won't deliver you to the guards right away. Just don't get in my way." The thief let out a deep chuckle, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Needless to say that Regina didn't hand him over to the guards this day, neither did she on one of the other days she met Robin.

He somehow always found a way to catch the queen when she was on her own and without any guards on her side. They spend most of their time together wandering through the quiet places of the palace gardens, always avoiding the patrolling guards. At first Robin was doing most of the talking. Regina did her best to act indifferent to the thief's presence, but the man knew better. He could see how Regina's eyes lit up when he was talking about the adventures with his merry men, how she had to fight to suppress a smile when he was telling her a particularly silly story. But with the time was passing by Regina started to open herself up more and more. Reluctant at first, she started to speak about her life in the palace, her voice quiet and hesitant because she was not used to the fact that someone was actually interested in something she said.

She tried to avoid the topic of her marriage completely. It was better that way for now. But soon she got more confident and built up some kind of trust in Robin. She felt safe with him and was sure she didn't have to fear rejection from him.

So she began to tell the thief about her past, the last time she spoke of such a topic was with Daniel. She told him about the love of the stables, her safe place she came to whenever life was just too much for her to take. How she tried to make her mother happy because despite their somewhat strained relationship, they did love each other. How her magic terrified her, how she couldn't control it, how she didn't know what she was capable of. She took a deep breath and looked up at Robin, his expression thoughtful and serious but not scared. He truly did care about her. Tentatively, she began to talk about the stable boy- her first love. A love that had captured her heart. She told Robin how that love ended in the most tragic way. How that night her mother had taken every last bit of hope she had left. Including her freedom.

Regina didn't exactly know how it happened that she found herself crying in Robin's strong arms. All she knew was that for the first time in a long while she finally felt accepted. Robin didn't say much during Reginas talking, it wasn't necessary. All that Regina needed was someone to be there for her, someone who wouldn't judge her. And that's exactly what Robin did. He never judged her, not when she was telling him about her regret for saving the young Snow White, not even when she finally brought herself to talk about her unhappy marriage with the king.

She was curled up in his arms again today **.** Her voice quiet and hesitant, shaking from her own sobs. She noticed how his body tensed when she was telling him about the nights she had to spend in the King's bed-chamber, how he forced her to pleasure him and how he hurt her when she dared to resist his demands. Regina could feel the anger spread in the thief's chest, how he had to fight the urge to stand up and give the king what he deserved and finally how he stiffed at the realization that all of his plans were pointless. There was nothing he could do. Instead, he focused on the woman in his arms, his hands slowly drawing small circles on her back.

When she finally relaxed in his embrace Robin put his hands around her face and gently forced her to look him in the eyes. "Regina, I know you don't want my pity. But I need you to understand that none of this is your fault. You are an incredible strong woman and nobody should go through this-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence because Regina stepped forward and crushed her lips on his. At first, it was just a light touch. Regina was anxiously waiting for his reaction, but when he showed no intention of backing away from this, she slung her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss. For a while they were just enjoying each others company and the new-found sensation between them. But then Robin's mind started to process what was happening and he slowly stepped away, breaking the kiss.

"Milady, we can't," he murmured, "It's too dangerous-".

But again Regina didn't let him finish "Robin, listen to me," she begged, her voice still a bit throaty from all the crying "I don't know what this is between us, but it feels so right. You are the reason that I still have the strength to get up every morning, pretending to be everyone's queen. You are keeping me alive. Please, don't take this away from me." She had started to cry again.

"Listen to me, Leopold will never know. We just have to be careful. He doesn't care what I am doing all day in the garden as long as I am all dressed up in his bedchamber every night, ready to fulfill my duties as his wife." Regina added in a bitter tone.

Robin was still conflicted. He could either loose Regina here and now or decide to continue their dangerous deep down his decision was already made and as Regina stepped forward again and captured his lips in another desperate kiss, he didn't push her away. This game might be dangerous, but Regina was definitely worth it.

Summer drifted into autumn. Autumn to winter. Once again the thief and queen were reminded of the fleeting nature of time. Time had always been their greatest enemy. Their moments always seemed to pass too quickly. As the days drew shorter so did their meetings. Some days they wouldn't meet at all **.** Regina wasn't able to sneak into the gardens often and they had to stay closer to the palace. Mostly their encounters consisted of nothing more than a few brief words, some stolen kisses and small gestures of affection.

They tried their best to stay away from Leopold's guards, but one day the inevitable happened. Because of a snow storm outside Robin and Regina were not able to see each other for almost a week and they got careless. Robin knew that they were too close to the palace, but he just didn't care, too big was his happiness to finally hold the queen in his arms again. The two were completely lost in each other and when they noticed the two guards who came round the corner it was already too late. They had run out of time.

The two immediately jumped away from each other, but the guards already processed what was happening in front of them. Then everything happened very fast. One of Leopold's men ran forward and wrestled down Robin while the other took care of Regina. Both were far too shocked to show any resistance. By now more and more guards had arrived at the scene. Any kind of escape attempt would have been pointless. Then, the king himself showed up. Somebody must have informed him already because he was by no means surprised at the situation in front of him. "Take the thief to the dungeons. I want to have a word with my wife alone.", he said in a cold voice that left no room for any objections.

Robin had no idea how much time he spent alone in the darkness of the dungeons until he heard footsteps approaching his cell. The door was opened and one of the guards pushed Regina into the small room, only to close the door again, which left the two secret lovers alone to themselves. The thief immediately rushed forward to check on the young queen, but paused when he got sight of her. The woman in front of him had nothing in common with the sassy queen he saw walking through the garden many weeks ago. This woman was completely broken, her hair messy, her eyes dull. She didn't even try to hide the fresh bruises that were seen all over her arms and face.

This was too much for the thief, he stepped closer and pulled Regina in a tight embrace. There were no words needed, he already knew what kind of punishment the King chose for them. The sentence for treason was death, and Leopold would certainly make no exception in their case. They were trapped with no possibility of escape, yet here stood alongside a thief, that stole her heart, Regina somehow felt free. Robin sat down in the corner of the cell and pulled Regina with him, determined to make the most of the moments they had left. She immediately snuggled into his arms and finally allowed the tears to start, just like she did so many times during their secret meetings. They didn't talk that night, but were just trying to hold on to each other, knowing that their first night together would be the last one they ever experience.

Morning came fast and with it the guards. The goodbye between Robin and Regina was brief, they didn't have much time There was never enough time. One last kiss, one last "I am so sorry" and Regina was taken away. The guards for Robin arrived only a few minutes later. When they lead him out of the dark dungeons, his eyes needed a moment to get used to the light.

It looked like Leopold had done everything to turn the public execution of his wife and her secret lover into an event, a spectacle **.** Everyone should see what happened to people who dare to betray their king. The square was fully crowded, there were only two small paths that lead to two platforms, right in the center of the place. Robin could make out Regina on one of the stages, her hands bound to a wooden stake, her eyes covered with a black bandage. Slowly he made his way through the crowd. There was really no turning back now. Still, Robin held is head high and walked with firm steps towards the platform. He wouldn't give Leopold the joy of seeing him broken, begging for his life. He didn't even notice when his hands were bound to the stake. His gaze fixed on the woman standing right across from him. His beautiful Regina, she deserved so much more. They both did.

But now it was too late to think about all the things they could have been, too late to think about all the lost moments and the things he was never able to tell her. Now Regina would never experience how true love would feel like, she would never understand that love is indeed strength and not weakness. Robin couldn't bear this thought any longer and focused his attention back to the things happening around him.

He noticed that the shooter was already getting in position and the king got ready to read the sentence. There was no point in listening to it, so instead he tried to remember every little detail about Regina. How her hair felt beneath his fingers, so soft and light, almost like silk. How her laugh sounds when he told her a silly story, so warm and honest as if she had never experienced any bad. How her lips felt on his, so passionate yet reserved, still new to the sensation.

He had spent so little time with this woman, but it felt like he has known her his whole life. If soulmates truly did exist, he was sure that he found his soulmate in the brunette woman. Now he was about to lose her and there was nothing he could do about it.

The odds were never in their favor. The game was lost before it had begun.

They had both lost the fight. They hadn't lost the war. For even in death, Regina was his future.

By now the King has finished his sentencing. A tense silence was now laying all over the place. Robin took a deep breathe and turned his gaze again to Regina's face. She moved her lips and he could make out a silent "I love you" when the arrow it her right in the chest. Her head immediately sank forward, her lifeless body now only held by the bonds around her wrists. Robin couldn't look away from his Regina. A feeling of numbness overwhelmed him. "I love you too", he whispered and didn't even notice when the arrow pierced through his skin.


End file.
